Sun slammed for mocking Roy Hodgson's speech

The Sun is getting heavily criticised on Twitter for its front page today mocking new England manager Roy Hodgson's speech.

A former Sun editor has joined in the condemnation:

David Yelland ‏ @davidyelland

So little compassion for Roy Hodgson today, bullying language, pointlessly cruel, pointlessly hurtful.

Here's  a couple of tweets from Northern Echo editor Peter Barron:

Peter Barron ‏ @EchoPeterBarron

Sorry, but today's Sun front page isn't funny, isn't clever, and isn't right.

Peter Barron ‏ @EchoPeterBarron

...Maybe not quite a 'Bonkers Bruno' moment for The Sun but misjudgement nonetheless.

And some more twitter comments...

Gareth Davies ‏ @Gareth_Davies09

Just seen The Sun's speech impediment front page *rolls eyes* that 'gag' isn't remotely funny

Jacqui Oatley ‏ @JacquiOatley

Charming front page of the Sun. Hodgson has won 11 major titles/trophies, speaks 5 languages but let's mock his speech.

Mike White ‏ @mikewhitesport
 The Sun's headline on Roy Hodgson is a disgrace & equivalent to playground bullying. Let's ignore his achievements but mock his speech.

eighteensixtyfive ‏ @nottm_forest

 Let's make this simple: if Roy Hodgson had a physical disability, rather than a speech impediment, The Sun would never run that front page.

Martin Shovel ‏ @MartinShovel

The Sun's front page mocks Roy Hodgson's speech impediment. If he had a physical disability, would they ridicule that too?

Nicola Pike ‏ @nicolapike

The Sun's headline today is shameful & shocking. The country should be getting behind Roy Hodgson not doing this.

Annie Eaves ‏ @AnnieEaves
'HELLO ROY, HEEELLLLLOOOOOO ROY, CAN YOU HEAR US?' What would The Sun do if Hodgson was a bit deaf?

Do you have to be 'fit and proper' to own a paper?

All sorts of bonkers people and criminals have owned newspapers in the UK without MPs deciding they were not "fit and proper".

No-one stopped Robert Maxwell taking over the Mirror, former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev acquiring the Evening Standard and the Independent, Conrad Black buying the Telegraph or Richard Desmond taking over the Express.

The only one I can remember being blocked was David Sullivan (top), the LSE educated pornography publisher, who launched the Sunday Sport and Daily Sport and was prevented in 1990 from taking a majority stake in the Bristol Evening Post and its sister title, the Western Daily Press.

The Monopolies and Mergers Commission (Competition Commission) ruled that Sullivan's acquisition of the Bristol newspapers would not be in the public interest. Interestingly, it was not his porn background that prevented the deal going head so much as a disastrous link up with the Daily Star and Express Newspapers.

The Commission ruled: "The evidence from Mr Sullivan's previous involvement with the Daily Star suggests that his proposed acquisition could well impair the ability of BEP newspapers to hold readers and advertisers and thus their profitability."

You can read the Commission's ruling online.

In the UK anyone can launch a newspaper without permission from the state. I once interviewed someone who launched a newspaper that you could also wear as a hat - it failed but no-one stopped them trying.

Hyperlocal website ups distribution of magazine

Hyperlocal website Everything Epping Forest is extending the reach of its colour magazine produced in partnership with London Archant.

Residents of Epping, North Weald, Theydon Bois and Abridge areas have already received two editions of the monthly magazine, also called Everything Epping Forest.

Now distribution for the next edition (June) will be extended to around 30,000 homes in the district, including Loughton, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill.

An e-edition is also available via a link on the Everything Epping Forest website. Copies are also available from various collection points in the district including Epping Library and the Civic Offices in Epping.

The Everything Epping Forest website, launched in 2008 by local newspaper editor David Jackman after he was made redundant, has registered more than 1.2m hits this year.

Workies of the World Unite: May Day campaign

The NUJ Freelance Branch will highlight its Cashback for Interns campaign against unpaid work in the media during the May Day march in London tomorrow.

The May Day trade unions march starts from Clerkenwell Green at noon and ends at Trafalgar Square, for a rally at which NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet will be among the speakers.

The London Freelance Branch says: "Young media workers entering the profession are increasingly expected to do more and more unpaid internships of ever-longer duration, with the prospect of later going into a real paid job diminishing.

"Some media enterprises seem to regard the serial exploitation of 'workies' as a business model, while outlets that used to pay now seem to work on the basis that online means unpaid."

The NUJ says it has already helped one former "workie" to victory - and a pay-out of the minimum wage due to her - at an Employment  Tribunal.

Following a motion passed at its April meeting, NUJ London Freelance Branch will be distributing flyers with information on the Cashback for Interns campaign during the May Day march.

Illustration: LFB

Spiking the Leveson Inquiry: A counter argument

Fed-up with the Leveson Inquiry and concerned that it will impose statutory controls on the press?

It's worth listening to the arguments of Spiked journalist Patrick Hayes (above) in a discussion on WORLDbytes, the online Citizen TV channel.

He argues that the Leveson Inquiry will introduce regulation of the press with statutory back-up and it will be less free as a result.

Hayes also claims that the debate should not be focused on Murodch and hacking and that there are few people who are prepared to stick up for freedom of the press.

Free speech and a free press with no ‘buts’ are essential for democracy he argues.

The online journal Spiked has launched The Counter-Leveson Inquiry website.

Death of financial journalist Hugh Sharpe

Hugh Sharpe, the former Evening Standard City journalist who covered finance and business for UK Press Gazette, died last weekend aged 91.

Among his scoops for Press Gazette was that T. Bailey Forman was trying to sell its flagship Nottingham Evening Post at a time when big regional newspapers rarely came onto the market.

He was also sued personally by Robert Maxwell for an article he wrote for Press Gazette. The action dragged on for a year before being resolved.

Hugh kept working as a journalist well beyond his retirement age but left London to live with his nephew, Rob Sharpe, in Normanton 12 years ago. He became involved with the Civic Trust and Museum in Newark.

Six months ago he moved into a nursing home where, according to his nephew, he spent much of his last few months reading through stacks of library books or discovering new authors on his Kindle.

Hugh was a lovely man to work with and shared his knowledge with great generosity. His funeral is on Friday 4th May at 11.45 at Grantham Crematorium.